Carl Ritter

Carl Ritter (August 7, 1779 - September 28, 1859) was, along with his fellow German Alexander von Humboldt, one of the founders of modern geography (and of the Berlin Geographical Society). From 1820 until his death, he occupied the first chair in geography at the University of Berlin.

Ritter's masterwork, the 19-volume Die Erdkunde im Verhältniss zur Natur und zur Geschichte des Menschen (The Science of the Earth in Relation to Nature and the History of Mankind), written 1817-1859, developed at prodigious length the theme of the influence of the physical environment on human activity. Despite its length, the work was left incomplete at the time of his death, covering only Asia and Africa.